Suzannah Lipscomb facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Suzannah Lipscomb
FRHistS FHEA FSA
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Lipscomb speaks to the British Library in 2022
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Suzannah Rebecca Gabriella Lipscomb
7 December 1978 |
| Nationality | British |
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| Fields | History |
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Suzannah Lipscomb (born 7 December 1978) is a British historian and university professor. She is known for her work on the 16th century, especially the Tudor period in England and French history. She has written several books, appeared in many TV shows about history, and hosts a popular podcast called Not Just the Tudors. She also writes a regular column for History Today magazine.
Her research explores different parts of history, like religion, how men and women lived, politics, and daily life in the 1500s. She has also studied and talked about the historical trials of people accused of witchcraft in Britain and Europe.
Before becoming a professor, Lipscomb worked as a curator at Hampton Court Palace. She also taught history at several universities, including the University of East Anglia, the New College of the Humanities, and the University of Roehampton. In 2020, she became a trustee for the Mary Rose Trust, which looks after the famous warship from the time of Henry VIII of England.
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Early Life and Education
Suzannah Lipscomb grew up in Surrey, close to Hampton Court Palace. She says that seeing the palace often made her very interested in the Tudors from a young age.
She went to Nonsuch High School for Girls and Epsom College. Later, she studied at the University of Oxford, attending Lincoln and Balliol colleges. In 2009, she earned her highest degree, a Doctorate of Philosophy (D.Phil.), from Oxford. Her research for this degree was about women in France during the Protestant Reformation.
Becoming a Historian
While finishing her studies, Suzannah Lipscomb worked as a curator at Hampton Court Palace. A curator is someone who manages and looks after a collection of items, like in a museum. At Hampton Court, she helped organize special exhibitions in 2009. These shows celebrated 500 years since Henry VIII of England became king. This work won an award for connecting history with creative industries. She still advises Historic Royal Palaces, which manages several historic sites.
In 2010, Lipscomb started teaching history at the University of East Anglia. The next year, she became a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, which is an honor for historians.
From 2011, she led the history department at the New College of the Humanities. She later joined the University of Roehampton in 2017 and became a full professor of history there in 2019. She is now a professor emerita, meaning she has retired but keeps her title.
Lipscomb has also received awards for her writing. In 2012, she won the Nancy Lyman Roelker Prize for an article about women's communication in 16th-century France. In 2021, her book, The Voices of Nîmes, received a special award from the Social History Society. In 2022, she was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, another important recognition for her work.
On TV and Podcasts
Suzannah Lipscomb is well-known for bringing history to life on television. She has appeared in many historical documentaries.
She was part of The Secret Life Of: series on the Yesterday TV channel. She also contributed to Time Team on Channel 4. With Joe Crowley, she presented Bloody Tales of Europe and Bloody Tales of the Tower for the National Geographic Channel.
In May 2013, Lipscomb appeared in The Last Days of Anne Boleyn on BBC Two. She also co-presented I Never Knew That About Britain for ITV in 2014.
She wrote and presented a two-part documentary called Henry and Anne: The Lovers Who Changed History for Channel 5. This show was later re-aired as Queen for a Thousand Days.
Lipscomb also created and presented the "Hidden Killers" series for BBC Four. These shows explored dangers in homes from different historical periods, like Hidden Killers of the Victorian Home, Hidden Killers of the Edwardian Home, Hidden Killers of the Tudor Home, and Hidden Killers of the Post-War Home.
In October 2015, she wrote and presented Witch Hunt: A Century of Murder, a two-part documentary for Channel 5. She also discussed witchcraft on the BBC Radio programme Free Thinking.
She has appeared on several entertainment shows, including the BBC Two comedy show Insert Name Here and Celebrity Antiques Road Trip. In 2016, she co-wrote and co-presented Henry VIII and His Six Wives with Dan Jones for Channel 5.
In 2017, Lipscomb and Dan Jones also co-wrote and co-presented a three-part series called Elizabeth I for Channel 5. They also presented The Great Fire, a series where they walked the path of the Great Fire of London.
Between 2017 and 2019, Lipscomb was a regular guest in "Dictionary Corner" on the game show Countdown. She also appeared as a contestant on Pointless Celebrities.
In 2018, she was featured on Channel 5's Secrets of the National Trust with Alan Titchmarsh. She also started a podcast series for Historic England called Irreplaceable: A History of England in 100 Places, which won an award.
In March 2019, Lipscomb, along with Dan Jones and Rob Bell, presented London: 2000 Years of History for Channel 5 (UK).
Since April 2021, Lipscomb has been hosting her own popular podcast, Not Just The Tudors, under the History Hit Umbrella. The podcast covers a wide range of historical topics and is released twice a week. Listeners praise it for being informative, interesting, and well-presented.
In July and August 2021, she presented Walking Tudor Britain for 5Select, where she explored different parts of Britain to find hidden Tudor secrets. In 2023, she launched Step Into The Past, a podcast with the National Trust.
In 2023 and 2024, Lipscomb presented The Royals: A History of Scandals, a series for More4 and Channel 4. She is also the chair of judges for the first Women's Prize for Non-Fiction in 2024.
Political Views
As a historian, Suzannah Lipscomb has sometimes shared her views on important public matters. In 2016, she was one of many historians who signed a letter to The Guardian newspaper. The letter discussed the European Union (EU) and encouraged people to think carefully about Britain's future.
In 2022, she joined over 310 writers and publishers in signing a letter to The Times newspaper. This letter asked the House of Lords to consider changes to a government bill, supporting the importance of freedom to protest.
Personal Life
Suzannah Lipscomb is married to actor Tom Hutch. They have a child together and also a dog.
